If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Re: Cutouts and the Honey Comb?

This is what we do,

We save the brood comb by strapping the comb into either deep or medium frames, depending on the size of the comb. This really seems to help the bees get a start. Also seems to help getting stragglers to move into your box.

Comb with honey we crush and strain, and keep some for ourselves, and the majority we try to feed back to the bees. Like D Semple stated, open feeding honey incites major robbing/fighting. The loose comb and chunks, we put in 5 gallon buckets and cover. Crush and strain later.

If it is not a dearth, I will put a quart feeder over top of the new colony, and then put an empty brood box around the feeder. If there is a dearth, we try to wait to do the cutout, if we can.

Please keep in mind, I am not an expert at cutouts, but this works for us.

Re: Cutouts and the Honey Comb?

I do a lot of cutouts. There is some risk with honey transferred disease, but I've not seen any disease in any of my hives (other than what Veroa helps out with). Giving them their own honey is a risk, it's true. I usually spread out the comb (per above) though 300' minimum is tough in my area. I usually end up with some robbing no matter how much I avoid it. For the cut out hive, I close them up to where only 1 bee at a time can get out, and I immediately feed them unless I can put a feeder on top, then I'll just screen them in for a few days. Another option is to tie their honeycomb and put it in a deep above a inner cover on top of their new hive. It may drip, but not all over them - it may pool on the inner cover and drown them a bit, but you'll want to screen them in for their own protection for 3 days. By that time, the queen has accepted the new box. In most cases though, I just dump the comb where the bees can get it unless it's capped, first year comb. I'll use that for cut comb if I can pull it out clean.